BABY SUMMER MUST-HAVES
I’m back with another list of essential baby items and this time it’s for the summer heat!
Not gonna lie, I’m way more of a summer girl and absolutely hate the cold. But since becoming a mom I’ve been converted from a sun worshipper to a lady in the shade. The shade is just SO much easier to deal with when you have a baby, right?!
So this list will be full of items to help with sun protection, activities to keep you and your babe entertained and some items I haven’t been able to live without this season.
You may remember this post I did in partnership with West Coast Kids, all about which items to include on your baby registry. So I’ve teamed up with the WCK fam again on this list, which means all these items can simply be bought in one place.
Some of these items I had originally registered for and some I recently picked up since Lily is older now and I need to keep up with my growing girl.
So let’s get to it.
The other a day I shared an Instagram story of Lily sleeping in the stroller with our Bugaboo Fox canopy all the way down to block out the sun. One of my lovely readers pointed out that Bugaboo actually makes a sun canopy that also goes all the way down but is meant for hotter weather, with better air flow and lightweight material – game. changer. Wish I had known about this sooner, like last summer, lol! But glad to have it for this season.
2. Bucket Hat
I swore I wouldn’t be the mom dressing their baby in nerdy, all-out sun protection gear but here we are! No, for real bucket hats are actually so cute on babies. It is the only type of hat Lily will leave on so she lives in hers when we’re outside. I get nervous for the sun on her scalp because she doesn’t have a lot of hair so a hat in this weather is an absolute must! WCK has some cute designs, I especially love this Pehr one.
3. Swim Diaper
Okay so this is actually on my list of items to pick up and I will obvs share with you how it is and cute diaper pics of Lil when I get it. But in an effort to reduce waste, we want to go the route of a washable swim diaper. I’m obsessed with the patterns of these Bumkins ones.
So this is an item I originally registered for and it came in handy immediately, thanks to having a spring baby! The blanket is a great size and material. It’s padded enough, waterproof and easy to clean. I also love that it easily folds up into a small purse so it’s easy to carry around. Highly recommend – it’s made backyard chills so enjoyable!
5. Sunglasses
I have the original Babiators in black but I just saw these on the West Coast Kids site and think I need them now, haha! Lily was really good about wearing her sunglasses for a few months, I think from 4-7 months. Now she won’t but if you have a baby in that age range, I highly recommend, even if it’s just for a pic!
6. Ride on Toy
If your baby is anything like Lily, then they love being pushed around on toys. Now that she’s walking, she’s getting the hang of pushing herself on ride-on toys which is making my life a little easier. This toy is great because it works as a walker, ride on and eventually a scooter, which I can’t wait for because I won’t be able to handle the cuteness. This toy has been a fave summer activity for us.
Ya I’m the spin instructor that can barely ride a real bike (lol!!) so I personally won’t be using one of these. BUT, if you are much more coordinated than me and hit the streets on your bike in the warmer weather, I feel like taking your kid with you on a bike ride is just such a fun activity. So even though you will more than likely never see me using a child bike seat, I wanted to include it because it feels like the perfect summer activity with a baby! I know the crew at WCK will be able to help you choose the best and safest one because they are the baby gear masters!
8. Booster Seat
The other day I met some of my friends in the park to serve our babies dinner together. They both whipped out portable booster seats , put them on the grass and placed the babes inside to serve them. I just assumed I could put Lily in my lap and feed her that way. Well turns out, they had the right idea. I guess I forgot Lily isn’t 5 months old anymore and won’t just sit in my lap and let me feed her haha. So if picnics in the park are a part of the plan this summer, I definitely suggest purchasing a dining booster chair. And of course, when things go back to normal eventually, you can bring it with you to restaurants or even use it on your chairs at home. Just a good piece to have!
9. Sunscreen
I know I’ve written about sunscreen on the blog already but I wanted to add it in to this list because after trying so many brands, I found one I love. The Sun Bum is the 5th brand of baby sunscreen we have used and here is why I like it the best: it rubs in easily, doesn’t leave Lily’s skin completely caked in white, comes in a very large tube and smells amazing. I didn’t want to write about the ingredients on here because truthfully, I am not in expert in what actually constitutes clean ingredients. I know it is “cleaner” than some of the major cosmetic brands but I don’t want to make any false claims! So while it’s great that it is paraben-free, PABA free, cruelty free, etc., I also love it for the above reasons.
So there is my list of summer must haves for your baby. As you can see, they can all be purchased online or in store at West Coast Kids. Thanks to my WCK fam for partnering with me on this post and making mine and Lily’s summer that much sweeter!